Back to the bus for the trip
northwest out of Oslo. Mathieu paused to let everyone get coffee in
Hamar, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics skating venue.

After the
invigorating caffeine interlude, we piled back on the bus for the journey to Maihaugen.

Maihaugen
is a large open-air museum, which we visited on the way to
Lillehammer. The place is a collection of historical buildings
from various areas of Norway. It has a fascinating history,
starting with a dentist who thought he was going to die (but
didn't). The dentist, Anders Sandvig, began collecting old
buildings in the late 1800s. Many of the structures would not
have survived if they hadn't been moved to Maihaugen.

We had a guide to show us
around the inside of some of the buildings before we were turned loose
to explore the grounds on our own.

There were ACRES of farmhouses, gathering
halls, schoolhouses, churches, bridges, and other places to
wander around in.

Every detail was extremely authentic, from the style
of the fences to the animals in the farm paddocks. We saw how the
Norwegians cut lumber, planted their crops, and attended school "back in
the day."

It was really
pleasant to take a nature walk on a nice day. We strolled along the side
of a large pond (where fisking was forbudt) and snapped
photos of the local flora. Mountain ash was everywhere, with its red
berries.

There were some who felt we spent too long at
Maihaugen, while others would have liked to linger longer. Must mean
that the amount of time there was about right.

The group said goodbye to Maihaugen and chugged along
into the mountains. Next stop: Lillehammer, where we had a little time
to poke around. Too bad we couldn't bring home anything from the
farmer's market - the fruits and veggies were luscious-looking.

Here's Charlene, looking forlorn after trying
to get some Norwegian money at a bank so she could get
lunch. We all managed to get something to eat, and to find our
way back to the bus in time for the journey up into the hills.

A trip to Scandinavia
isn't complete without a visit to a
stave church. A prime example
was found at the hill town of Lom. Stave churches, built of wood, have
survived for as much as 1,000 years. The
Lom
stave church had some remarkable flourishes, including dragon heads
on the edges of the roof. Inside, we got to view some of the items found
at the site, such as
rune sticks. Amazingly, the church is still in use by the
townspeople of Lom.

Afternoon brought the troupe to
Elveseter, a rustic yet luxurious
refuge high in the Norwegian hills. The air was crisp and refreshing.
The lodgings had intriguing nooks and crannies to explore, as well as a
monolith (the
Saga
Column) that merited closer inspection.

Those in the mood for socializing joined up for a
pre-dinner get-together.

We made our way to the dining room, which held a
sumptuous smorgasbord.

The tables were marked
with the flags of our countries of origin. There were several groups
from other countries at nearby tables. Some folks sang and speechified.
At one point, Matthieu came out with a beer that he owed Dave. Or was it
vice versa?

Sven seemed to have acquired some additional
accessories, including a wooly hat and a copy of
Dave Fox's book (recently
published). We all wanted to read it. Conveniently, Dave brought some
copies with him.

No time for reading as we
headed over Sognefjell Pass, the highest in Norway at 4,704 feet. Or
1,434 meters, depending on who's counting. We stopped to check out the
myriad piles of stone that had been erected in the area. Some allegedly
were cairns piled up by the ancients. Most, it appeared, had been
stacked quite recently by hikers and fellow tourists.

Down from the pass, time to watch for the ferry that
would take us for a cruise of Sognefjord. We were pretty excited by the
prospect of some pretty spectacular scenery.

But first,
a picnic lunch on board.

The fresh air whetted our
appetites.

It was fun to try exotic
(to us) foodstuffs from the local market.

Photographs SO do not do justice to what we
saw on this boat ride.

The captain announced that
another ferry would be engaged in "mid-channel communication" with our
boat. A few passengers jumped from one vessel to the other.